Despite plenty of fight, Chesterfield brought the curtain crashing down on Swindon’s season.
Goals from Lee Bonis and Dilan Markanday were enough either side of a Ben Middlemas strike. It saw the visitors head to the play-offs, and Swindon begin a gruelling post-mortem.
The footballing gods have a funny way of throwing up occasions. Final day of the season, Swindon need a win to keep their promotion hopes alive.
The only way they can do that is through beating the team above them, Chesterfield, at home. It needs little more billing.
After last week's shellacking at Grimsby, Ian Holloway in desperate search of reprieve returned to a back three. It saw Ben Middlemas introduced into midfield for his full Town debut, after playing just 38 minutes all season.
In front of a deafening atmosphere Swindon made a confident start, but they were served a warning in the 11th minute when Dilan Markanday flashed wide a close-range effort.
With it all to do, Swindon had even more to do when Lee Bonis poked Chesterfield ahead in the 19th minute. And the visitors perhaps should’ve been out of sight when Ryan Stirk fired over a strike from 12 yards.
Swindon were not wilting, but neither were the rising to the occasion. Chesterfield, as the table perhaps suggested, were the better team.
In the first 45 minutes Town failed to test the goalkeeper. But as he always does, in injury time, the League 2 Player of the Season Aaron Drinan wrestled Swindon back into the contest.
He twisted and turned into the box and picked out Ben Middlemas for a fairytale strike, low and hard into the bottom corner.
The stage was set for an almighty 45 minutes of do or die. As the sunshine turned into rain, Ian Holloway took the proactive option as he switched to a back four and put on Michael Olakgibe.
Ben Middlemas, full of confidence, was taking the game by storm. With 54 minutes on the clock, he weaved an opportunity for a shot at goal but curled it just wide.
Swindon were building some positive momentum, but it was all so quickly halted when Armando Dobra beat Borland to the byline and squared it for Markanday to smash home.
Ryan Tafazolli nearly mustered a reply with a sweetly struck volley from the edge of the box which was gobbled up by Ryan Boot.
Former Chesterfield man Darren Oldaker saw a fiercely struck left foot shot cleared off the line by Sil Swinkles.
With time rapidly running out, Fletcher Holman tested Boot with a low shot. In stoppage time there was an almighty game of pinball in the box, but Town’s luck just wasn’t in as it just didn’t quite fall.
The full-time whistle brought another season down in League 2.






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